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In just 40 minutes Tuesday, Russ Pennell's job became considerably easier.

Assuming Arizona's spirit was not punctured by a 72-71 loss to UAB in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off — and the Wildcats say it won't be — they just might tune into their interim head coach a little more now in practices.

Lessons learned before five-figure crowds and national television audiences tend to do that.

Among the items Pennell figures to reinforce, as the Wildcats prepare for an NIT consolation game Monday against Mississippi Valley State:

● Know the time and score.

A basic basketball instruction, the time and score, eluded Jamelle Horne as he intentionally fouled UAB's Paul Delaney III with 0.8 of a second left. Not only was the score tied at 71, when defenses would normally not foul, but Delaney hadn't even reached the midcourt line with a second left, so he was in a bad position to shoot, no matter what the score.

"Instead of just letting him go, he made a poor decision and he's broken up about it. It was not a heads-up play," Pennell said. "According to him, one of the things he said was, 'I didn't know what to do.' He was afraid the guy was going to get a layup."

Ironically, Delaney may not have known the time, either.

"I looked up and there was like 2.2 seconds and (Delaney) was trying to turn the corner," Pennell said. "He might have squeezed off one from half-court, but I'm not even sure he knew what the time was, because it didn't look like he was getting ready to shoot."

Horne said "the last thing I wanted to do was give him an uncontested shot," but acknowledged that he was caught up in the emotion of the crazy final minute. Seconds earlier, freshman Kyle Fogg committed an unnecessary foul after tying the game with a steal and a layup.

"It was just something we've got to continue to practice more," Horne said. "It obviously shows our immaturity on the floor, especially in crunch time, and we had some problems like that last year. Hopefully, we'll take this as a learning experience. I know I will."

● Make mental adjustments quickly.

With the UA trailing 71-69 and 29 seconds left, Fogg, instead of Nic Wise, was instructed to foul the Blazers. Wise had four fouls and obviously would be needed if the game had gone into overtime.

But when Fogg grabbed a mishandled UAB ball after Garland Judkins missed the second of two free throws, Fogg threw the ball in the basket to tie the game at 71. Then he fouled, when it was no longer necessary.

"He just got excited and lost track of what was going on," Pennell said. "I can kind of understand that. He's a young kid and he'll learn from that. He felt horrible about it."

● Know when they won't foul.

Because the game was tied at 71 when Wise drove inside for a shot in the final seconds, the Blazers weren't likely to foul. That's why Pennell said Wise could have probably gotten away with more penetration before getting a shot off that could have won the game.

"Nic had the best chance" to score," Pennell said. "We love to run kind of a mid-pick-and-roll and they were jumping that screen. So I didn't want to have two guys involved out there.

"I felt like Nic, with his quickness, could get to the rim or create for someone. And they did a pretty nice job of cutting him off. But the last thing I told him, I said, 'Remember, they don't want to foul you.' I would have liked to see him attack the basket a little bit more."

● Don't forget about the shooter — or the driver, for that matter.

The NCAA may have moved the three-point arc out an extra foot this season, but Arizona wasn't even extending its defense to the old 19-feet-9-inch mark for much of the time Tuesday.

As a result, the Blazers threw down 13 of 30 from three-point range, continuing an unsettling defensive trend that began in the UA's first exhibition game, when Incarnate Word's Pierce Caldwell hit 8 of 13 three-pointers. UAB shot 45 percent overall from the field.

"We're just not very good defensively right now," Pennell said.

It didn't help that Arizona played against a veteran team with four senior starters, a savvy group that often knew precisely when and where to move the ball.

"They did an excellent job of penetrating and kicking," Chase Budinger said. "They were able to get in the lane and really look for an off-side perimeter guy. They're a very tough team to play, because once a guy got in the lane, they were so good at reversing and passing. They were getting open shots."

● Keep your head up.

Actually, the Wildcats already showed signs of grasping this one. Not only were Budinger and senior forward Fendi Onobun among those consoling Horne, telling him that there were many other reasons for the loss, but Arizona players were well aware they had come back from a nine-point deficit in the final 4:36.

"That just goes to show the character of our team," Onobun said. "We're fighters. We're not going to give up. We have to use this as a learning tool. We're gonna be in this situation sometime later in the season. We just have to make better decisions, point blank."

● University of Arizona alumni J. David and Edith Lowell donated $2.5 million toward construction of the basketball practice facility, renovation of Hillenbrand Aquatic Center and the Mary Roby Gymnastics Practice Facility, the UA announced Wednesday. On Friday, the athletic department will dedicate the memorial that was built to honor Lowell's older brother, William "Bill" Lowell, and his fellow teammates, Rue Mattice and Stanley Petropolis. All three lettermen played on the 1942 UA football team and served in World War II. They were all killed in action.

● Top-75 high school forward Mike Moser announced Wednesday he signed with UCLA. Moser, who decommitted in the wake of Lute Olson's retirement, had said he might wait until the spring signing period. Only one of Arizona's original 2009 commitments, forward Solomon Hill, has not signed with another school.